O.E.
feawe (contracted to
fea), from Gmc.
*faw- (cf. O.N.
far, Dan.
faa, O.Fris.
fe, O.H.G.
foh "little," Goth.
fawai "few"), from PIE
*pau- "smallness" (cf. L.
paucus "few, little,"
paullus "little,"
pauper "poor;" Gk.
pauros "few, little,"
pais (gen.
paidos) "child;" L.
puer "child, boy,"
pullus "young animal;" Oscan
puklu "child;" Skt.
potah "a young animal,"
putrah "son;" O.C.S.
puta "bird;" Lith.
putytis "young animal, young bird"). Always plural in O.E. Phrase
few and far between attested from 1668. Unusual ironic use in
quite a few "many" (1883), earlier
a good few (1828).
"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." [Winston Churchill, 1940]